Improvement in car-couplings



W. B. BARNES. Car-Couplings. N0. 141,258, Patentedjuly29,l873.

AM. PHoro-yT/oa/mPH/c co. MY. osaanmffs moe/fas) u NITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo WINSLOW BRADFORD BARNES, OF PLYMOUTH, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO SAMUEL TALBOT, JR., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,258, dated July 29, 1873; application filed September 14, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WrNsLow BRADFORD BARNES, of Plymouth, iu the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Car Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connectionwith the drawings furnished and forming a part hereof, is a clear and accurate description of a car-coupling constituting my invention. I

My invention relates particularly to that class of car-couplings which are intended to operate automatically, and which embody, with a bumper and draw-head, catches or pins of various kinds, which are arranged to engage with the link when the end of the latter is forciblyintroduced therein from another bumper in which the link is held, and by which it is presented in a position mainly horizontal. It consists in constructing the ends of the link with inclined faces on reverse angles, and in providing therefor, in the interior of the bumpers, recessed lugs or holders, tted to receive either end of the link to maintain it in a horizontal position, and to present it to the bumper with which it is to engage.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a ground plan. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section over the line A B taken on Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section over the line X Y taken on Fig. 2; and, finally, Fig. 4 represents a central longitudinal section of the coupling when in thel act of coupling together, as will herein be fully shown and described.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on/the drawings.

Although I am aware that my improvements may be practically combined with many of the .great number of automatically-operating link pins or catches, and with draw-heads or bumpers of various forms, I have selected for illustration a bumper and draw-head of a form and general character approximating to the one in common use and provided with the wellknown hinged link-pin.

a a denote the bunters, which are attached to the ends of railroad cars in the. usual way.

On the upper side of'each bunter are secured ears or hinges b b b b', through which the hingepins c c are inserted, and around which the blocks d d are made to turn easily, in a manner as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Through each block d d is made a vertical hole, in which the coupling-bolts e c' are held and supported. Said bolts c c are provided with eyes h h in their upper ends, as usual. The blocks d d and pins e c turn around the bolts c c', as shown in Fig. 4, and for this reason I make slot-holes ff in the upper part of the bunters, and similar ones, g g', in the lowerpart of the hunters, by which arrangement the couplingbolts c c will be allowed to swingfreely around the bolts c c', as shown. The shackle or link iis made tapering downward in one end, k, and tapering upward in the opposite endl, as shown. The hunters are provided with lugs m m m mon the lowerinside behind the slot-holes g g', as shown. lugs or projections is to provide an arrangement whereby the shackle i will be held automatically in position during the operation of coupling cars together without the need of an operator guiding the shackle.

The way in which the shackle-i is kept in position during the operation is as follows: The end lc that tapers downward is pushed close up to the lugs m m in the bunter a', by which arrangement the shackle i is kept steadily in a horizontalposition and prevented from going backward any further in the bunter a than what is shown on right-hand side of Fig. 4. We will suppose that the car to which the bunter ctis attached is stationary, and that the shackleiis placed in a position as shown in Fig. 4. We will also suppose that the car to which the bunter a is attached is backing up to meet the bunter a. The end l of the shackle i' strikes the bolt c, thus turning said bolt around the fulcrum c, as shown on left-hand side of Fig. 4, and when the bunter a has backed up a little nearer to the bunter a the bolt e will drop down from its own weightinto the shackle c', lthus effectually coupling both cars together without the need of an operator guiding the shackle and replacing the bolt. To uncouple The object of these I simply lift up one of the bolts e e in the usual way.

The link or shackle being provided with the reverse inclined faces k and I, it will be seen that if it be made to engage with the recess at the lug fm of one bunter the opposite end of the link, ou entering the inouth of another bunter, must necessarily rise and pass over the lug in that bumper, and that it cannot come in contact therewith; and also that, after the coupling has been effected and draft applied, either lug will be in contact with the link until on slacking and the bumpers strike, when one lug, engaging with one end, will, as before, force the opposite inclined end of the link over and beyond the adjacent lug.

My link and lugs are, obviously, applicable to ordinary link-bumpers, such as are in cominon use, and, therefore, my improvements, by this interchangeability, are Well adapted for use on any road on a large or small scale, and in common with the ordinary link-couplings.

It will be readily seen that most of the wellknown or modern` automatically-operating link-pins or devices which perform analogous functions may be practically employed in combination with my improvements.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as nevir and desireto secure by Letters Patentl. The link i having reverseinclined faces at the ends, in combination with the recessed lugs k and Z within the bumpers, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with a link pin or catch, arranged for automatic coupling, the link i with its inclined reverse faces 7c and Z at the end, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

VVINSLOW B. BARNES.

Witnesses MYRoN A. POOLE, ALBAN ANDRN. 

